Vegas shooting

October 13, 2017Letters to the Editor

In Las Vegas, another madman whose true motives may never be known has set a new record for mass shootings in America. A mass shooting is officially any shooting in which four or more people are killed when the shooting is clearly an act of terror, not related to a robbery or gang activity.

The modern era of mass shootings in America began on Aug. 1, 1966, when Charles Whitman ascended the University of Texas Tower in Austin, Texas, and in 96 minutes fired 150 rounds from a number of weapons upon an unsuspecting public. The sniper’s rampage left 16 people dead and more than 30 wounded. Whitman used a combination of military-style rifles and hunting rifles, all bought legally.

On Oct. 1, 2017, the Las Vegas gunman fired approximately 1000 shots in 11 minutes, killing 58 people and injuring 489. He used weapons very similar to those used in the Texas Tower massacre, with the addition of a device known as a bump-fire stock. His weapons were purchased legally also, including the bump-fire stock.

Of course, any fool knows that guns don’t kill people. It’s the bullets that kill people and today’s innocent, misunderstood guns don’t, in and of themselves, kill people. They merely fire bullets more efficiently.